Keep Your Brick Home Strong With Regular Inspection

​Brick homes have been among the most popular styles of residential architecture for decades. The durability and beauty of traditional brick make the material a top choice among homeowners and builders alike. When properly maintained, a brick home is not only energy-efficient but also long-lasting. With yearly inspection, check for wear and tear signs, and your brick home will prove to be a worthwhile investment. 

Know What To Look For
Brick is a strong material that is typically resistant to most minor damages caused by wear and tear over the years. Brick is held together by mortar, which is where you should concentrate your inspection efforts. Mortar can begin to crumble and chip away over time, causing bricks to loosen. 

Mold, moss, and mildew can also form along the mortar, eventually leading to its decay, causing it to become brittle and crack. Clearing away any vines that grow on your house will help maintain the brick’s integrity, and cleaning it with mixtures of bleach and water will help remove most of the unsightly growth.  

Repair Crumbling Mortar
Once you have made sure your bricks are cleaned well, you should repair any crumbling or missing mortar. You can easily do this by chipping out the bad mortar with a chisel, removing the damaged area. A bonding agent can then be painted on the remaining mortar, and new mortar applied. Once you have applied the new mortar mixture, you can finish the joint by running your finger along the channel to form a shallow depression and then clean off any remaining residue from the bricks before it dries. 

Replacing Damaged Brick
Any damaged or loose bricks need to be replaced as well. Once the damaged bricks are removed, you can follow the same steps for mixing and applying mortar and set your new brick into place. An easy trick to replacing a brick is to apply mortar to the bottom of the opening first, putting the brick into place, and then finishing by adding mortar to the sides and top to seal it firmly. 


Check And Clear Weep Holes
Brick walls are built with weep holes at their bases that allow moisture from the wall to drain outside. These small openings can get clogged occasionally with debris, which alters how they drain water. As part of your annual maintenance check, make sure the weep holes on your home’s brick siding are free and clear to keep the brick dry. 

Professional Attention
As you inspect your brick siding for wear and tear and damage, you may find that you require professional assistance. For large projects or hard to reach areas, it is always best to consult with an experienced contractor to ensure that your home is repaired appropriately. Call Boyd Construction Co. Inc. today for all of your bricking or construction needs.